{Melb} Yarra Bend Park MTB stuff

cfsmtb said:

This letter appeared today in the Melbourne Times:
http://flickr.com/photos/51035538080@N01/112631557/

I've heard of similar issues during the last few years, as many of the walking tracks along the Yarra are 'poached' as singletrack.

Guilty as charged :|. I've got the decency (or maybe that would be not riding those tracks?) to stop, pull off and let walkers pass me when I see them though. The trails are rather annoying though, as they often link sections of legal (or at least non walking track) singletrack with the only other option (if it exists) being a long detour.

[quote]My other main concern is the erosion being caused by high pressure knobbly tires[quote]

Had a bit of a laugh when I read that... high pressure? Since when do MTBers run high pressures? Try it on the trails he's referring to and you'd end up in the river.

[quote="SomeGuy"]

[quote]My other main concern is the erosion being caused by high pressure knobbly tires

Quoted post said:

Had a bit of a laugh when I read that... high pressure? Since when do MTBers run high pressures? Try it on the trails he's referring to and you'd end up in the river.

cfsmtb said:

This letter appeared today in the Melbourne Times:
http://flickr.com/photos/51035538080@N01/112631557/

I've heard of similar issues during the last few years, as many of the walking tracks along the Yarra are 'poached' as singletrack.

hmmm. that thar be BoroondaraBUG territory.

havent ridden there myself (only on boulie area on raodie or fixie 😄)
altho I'm thinking there will never be a realistic way to 'stop em', not that i would necessarily advocate that anyway.
Offering options and separate paths for offroaders and walkers is the only way I can see the area being managed or sorted.
FWIW MTBers have probably 'initiated' more paths that are now official walking apths than ParksVic have 🙄

flyingdutch said:

hmmm. that thar be BoroondaraBUG territory.

havent ridden there myself (only on boulie area on raodie or fixie 😄)

Also have a chat to Bikesoiler about MTBA assistance, I'll shore up support from YarraBUG if it's required.

cfsmtb said:

This letter appeared today in the Melbourne Times:
http://flickr.com/photos/51035538080@N01/112631557/

I've heard of similar issues during the last few years, as many of the
walking tracks along the Yarra are 'poached' as singletrack.

Oh no! Sounds like another beat up against cyclists, just in a different
vein to normal. The walking tracks in the area referred to are very short so
few MTBers would really use them. The tracks run across rocky hills where
erosion is fairly unlikely, rainfall would do most of the damage, and
walkers will have a similar impact to "high pressure knobbly tyres" (??). I
gather a greater fear for walkers would be bumping into a 'trouser dropper'
as it has a reputation as a bit of a hang-out.

The Yarra Trail has a series of great single-tracks between Fairfield and
Westerfolds Park. Most of them have been developed by MTB riders over the
last 10-15 years. They run through areas of weed-infested bush, riverside
forest and plantation eucalypts. It is a much better trail ride than the
little patch around Dights Falls. All the way along there is a 2.5 m shared
use path for cyclists and pedestrians, and past Westerfolds a great section
of single-track was 'sanitised' to become 2.5m of bitumen. MTB riders
should, of course, always ride responsibly and yield to walkers, but I don't
think 'Mike Francis' has enough to occupy himself.

--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
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~~ (*)/ (*)

Oops, I posted one about the letter too... :o

If there are MTBers down that way I would think it's either locals, people lost, or riders trying that piece of trail for the first time, 'cos for MTB singlestrack it's shiyt...